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Introduction
Somewhere amidst their thirteen years of exile1, the fallen King, a beacon of virtues and all that is good, pondered over a battlefield of defeated wits. He looked over his shoulder and shed agonizing tears of i
"I have remained true to my path of righteousness. I have lived by every virtue, even in the battle against deceit and hate. Yet, I suffer endlessly with this desolation that my stubborn mind has brought upon us. Have you ever witnessed a man so devoid of fortune? Is there anyone in the world as unlucky as me?"– King Yudhishthir sang his lament to the exalted sage.
Rishi Vrihadashwa, in his vast wisdom derived from ageless knowledge, smiled at his troubled pupil acknowledging his peril. He rose from his pedestal atop a small hill, as they resided in the wilderness of the Himalayan foothills. The sage gazed to the southwest, perhaps searching for something, for his eyes held a glittering purpose.
He spoke in a gentle voice, "Beyond the horizons that most can see, to the southwest from here, lies an ancient monument of love – timeless mountains, the great Vindhyas2. They still bow down in a solemn prayer to the Himalayas. Mountains that set the stage for the saga of a lifetime. The Odyssey of Two Lovers, where their love endured, prevailed, and triumphed through similar trials and tribulations as you face today. May their journey reignite the flame of hope in your righteous heart."
As he finished speaking, he returned to sit at the edge of a Himalayan hill, and his pupil, the exiled King, bowed down in love and respect before taking a lower seat in front of his teacher, his counsel, a maharishi. Vrihadashwa began his sermon, and the eldest of the five Pandavas listened curiously.
1 – The story of Nal & Damayanti comes from an ancient book, Mahabharata, whose primary story revolves around the lives and times of the 5 Pandavas. In Mahabharat, Sage Vridhashwa recites ‘Nalopakhyanam – The tale of Nal’ to Yudishtir – the eldest of the 5 Pandavas in the 3rd year of their 13-year exile.
2 – ‘Vindya’ is the mountain range situated in central India